What is exact height of the '51 Dodge pickup 1/2 ton?

[Dodgeed]

I'm moving the truck into a new (old) garage, and need to know the exact height of the truck to ensure it'll fit under the door. I've looked in shop and driver's manuals and on-line, and can't find this measurement. Thanks for the info. 

[bkahler]

My 51 B3B just fits under a 7 foot garage door.

[Tooljunkie]

4 minutes ago, Dodgeed said:

I'm moving the truck into a new (old) garage, and need to know the exact height of the truck to ensure it'll fit under the door. I've looked in shop and driver's manuals and on-line, and can't find this measurement. Thanks for the info. 

Typical garage doors are 7 feet. It should fit. If you need an inch or so, deflate tires

[Dodgeed]

1 hour ago, Tooljunkie said:

Typical garage doors are 7 feet. It should fit. If you need an inch or so, deflate tires

The tires are the old, skinny, tall kind, which might actually add and inch or so. I wouldn't want to have to deflate the tires whenever I pull it in or out. I do believe the garage door is the typical 7 feet (84 inches), but I'm looking for the inches of height for the truck. For the life of me, I can't find that anywhere, and believe me, I've looked in lots of places. I can't just measure the truck though, because it is in a different garage not located  convenient to me.

[Young Ed]

With all the possible changes over the years such as tire size you should measure your own. My 46 with tall 16s fit in my garage but at my old house I did have to adjust my garage opened to pull the door a little further up. 

If the door is close have a helper watch closely as you try it. 

 

[Brent B3B]

Dodged you’ll be fine with the doors at 7’

i’ll guess my one ton (on the left) is 6’6”All of us are a little over 6’ tall in the photo (except not sure about Joe on the right)

 

hey Ed, see that photo came in handy ?

Edited February 4, 2022 by Brent B3B

[bkahler]

I just measured my 51.  Currently the truck is a rolling chassis with the cab installed and all of the drive train and radiator.  No sheet metal, no bed, etc.  

 

With that in mind it sits less than 80" to the top of the cab, probably more like 79".  Also, for reference I have 7" between the top of the front leaf spring to the underside of the frame rail.  Those numbers should give you a good idea.  Oh yeah, the wheels are 16" with P225/75 radial tires.  The diameter of the tires is very close to the original bias ply size.  

[bkahler]

28 minutes ago, Brent B3B said:

Dodged you’ll be fine with the doors at 7’

i’ll guess my one ton (on the left) is 6’6”We are a little over 6’ tall in the photo (except not sure about Joe on the right)

 

hey Ed, see that photo came in handy ?

 

Hmm, one of these is not like the others....

 

[Young Ed]

39 minutes ago, bkahler said:

 

Hmm, one of these is not like the others....

 

Because there are 2 red 2 green and only 1 yellow? 

[bkahler]

2 minutes ago, Young Ed said:

Because there are 2 red 2 green and only 1 yellow? 

 

Yep, that's it

 

[JBNeal]

I had a slight problem getting my '48 in the garage, as the concrete floor is slightly higher than at the door opening.  That little slope at the entrance meant that the cab could clear the door opening barely as the front wheels were higher than the rear when nosing the truck in.  I had to disconnect the garage door opener, push the door all the way back in the track, and hold it in place with a vise-grip on the track.  Letting some air out of the front tires did help with clearance.

 

additional information - Pilot-House dimensions

[bkahler]

5 minutes ago, JBNeal said:

I had a slight problem getting my '48 in the garage, as the concrete floor is slightly higher than at the door opening.  That little slope at the entrance meant that the cab could clear the door opening barely as the front wheels were higher than the rear when nosing the truck in.  I had to disconnect the garage door opener, push the door all the way back in the track, and hold it in place with a vise-grip on the track.  Letting some air out of the front tires did help with clearance.

 

additional information - Pilot-House dimensions

 

Based on that drawing 78-1/2" is the original design height.  Looks like mine is sitting about 1/2" to tall but once the sheet metal and bed are install I should be pretty close to design height.  That's cool 

[Dodgeed]

15 minutes ago, bkahler said:

 

Based on that drawing 78-1/2" is the original design height.  Looks like mine is sitting about 1/2" to tall but once the sheet metal and bed are install I should be pretty close to design height.  That's cool 

I did find an obscure reference that lead me to believe it might be 78-1/2 inches. If so, I'll be good. Like others mentioned, if I need to, I can push the door up higher on the rails, then lock into place w/vice grips, to prevent it from rolling back down an inch or two. The current garage has an extra high door, so, there hasn't been any issues. 

The previous garage door was the standard size, but I had the installer move the door further back on the track to enable the truck to fit under, just barely. The next garage, is older, and level to the ground, so there is a good possibility the truck will be okay, with maybe even an inch or two clearance. Once the weather breaks, I'll try getting it out of the other garage, and trying then in the next place. 

[ggdad1951]

1 hour ago, Young Ed said:

Because there are 2 red 2 green and only 1 yellow? 

you mean one red, and one "orange"  ?

[Tooljunkie]

I put a 4”lift on my 80 power wagon, then bolted on 35” tires. Millimeters to spare. I got lucky. Cabs arent so tall on them new fangled trucks. Had to adjust door as well. 

[Dodgeed]

UPDATE: For those of you who were wondering what happened........ I moved the '51 Pick-up from the older, off site, garage, into the one on my property. The door height is 84 inches, 7 feet, and the truck fit under. However, I needed to pin the door back along the rails as far as they'd go, in order to get under the bottom of the hanging door. It wouldn't have fit otherwise. 

[David A.]

You have a beautiful truck!